https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/age-and-fashion Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Wed, 03 Jun 2026 02:37:54 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/age-and-fashion#post-648664 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 17:06:22 +0000 Vildy 648664@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Rachylou, I think you have an excellent point there about public exposure. I've never seen it mentioned before but I'm personally highly sensitive to it because I don't drive and it is very clear in my mind the difference between what I want to wear out there by myself for long periods and going somewhere in a car. </p> <p>My favorite story is when the female principle of an arts magnet school in the inner city - who used to send kids home if they were not in uniform of khakis and polos - begged the girls who were coming to school in summer dresses during a heat wave to wear shorts instead. Shorts were in no way part of the uniform but, as she explained, when she drove in to work in the morning, they looked like they were hookers and she was afraid for them. I like to wear skirts and I agree, it is very difficult sometimes and you can be taken for a hooker in my city, which has *no* affluent or even middle class enclaves. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/age-and-fashion#post-648628 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:16:41 +0000 rachylou 648628@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Costume-y is a good word. Like it wasn't really age-related, but it "reads" that way. I think indeed the lady whose outfit worked - her outfit seemed to be consonant with her personality. </p> <p>Speaking of the way things read, there is also a matter of context. I also can imagine if the other lady had not taken the outfit to the street and stayed in private spaces, her outfit would have "read" just fine. Because it's one thing to play dress-up like Marie Antoinette at home, and another thing when people find out... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/age-and-fashion#post-648611 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:58:40 +0000 Echo 648611@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Without seeing them it is tough to comment, but I wonder if a lot of this has to do with someone looking "costumey", and less to do with age. In other words, regardless of age, a person is going to stand out in a bad way if they combine too many unusual elements for them to pull off comfortably in one outfit. A person can almost sense when someone is comfortable in their skin and their clothes versus them dressing in a certain way to get attention. I've seen young adults completely goth and they hardly warrant a second look because they somehow own the look. And yet most of the teens and young adults dressed that way appear costumey and like they are putting on a show instead of dressing for themselves.</p> <p>And so I guess my hypothesis is mostly the same as yours - one had the personality to pull it off and the other didn't. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/age-and-fashion#post-648583 Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:27:07 +0000 rachylou 648583@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm wearing a barrette today. That's probably too toddler.</p> <p>But I digress before I get started:</p> <p>So the other day, I saw this woman, and my immediate, unthinking reaction was, "that woman is dressed too young for her age."</p> <p>Later on that day, I saw another woman who I think was around the same age, also dressed youthfully, but I felt it worked. So I was like *hmm.*</p> <p>My hypothesis is while they were both older and dressed *young*, one had the personality to match the outfit and the other didn't. I'll mention the one who didn't match was in some bold clothing - Neiman Marcus-shiny OTK mad-max boots. Normally, if you wear boots like this, you never come out on the street. You go from your home's garage to the office garage and up the private elevator. Those are tough shoes to take to a broader audience. </p>